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Asbestos closes school Munhall
Asbestos closes Munhall school : Wednesday, September 17, 2008 By Mary Niederberger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Two days after Steel Valley school officials acknowledged asbestos had been found in the roof of Park Elementary School, district officials announced that the school will be closed until concerns over the asbestos have been resolved. Responding to concerns raised by parents at a board meeting last night, the board directed Superintendent William Kinavey to immediately close Park Elementary School in Munhall. It was not clear last night how long the school would remain closed or what the district would do for the 380 students who attend grades 1-5. Dr. Kinavey said he will try to find another location for Park students to use while the building is closed. The school's teachers will report to work at another location, district officials said. An inspector from the Allegheny County Health Department was on site yesterday afternoon and took air samples inside the building. Those air samples will be tested for the presence of asbestos. Board members said they want to see the results of those air samples and assurances that the building is safe before students return. It was unknown last night how long that might take. The board learned last week that asbestos had been found in core samples taken from the roof after a roofing contractor discovered what was suspected to be asbestos. The roofing contractor, Phoenix Roofing, has submitted an asbestos abatement plan to the health department, and board members said last night they also want to review that document. The discovery of the asbestos did not become public until yesterday, when it was published in an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That disclosure, and a letter that was sent home with students yesterday, brought dozens of parents to last night's board meeting, many of them expressing concern for their children's safety. On Monday, the district's director of operations, Mark Cherpak, confirmed for the Post-Gazette that repair work on the roof had stopped and that asbestos had been found in the core samples. Mr. Cherpak also acknowledged that he lied to a Post-Gazette reporter when he was asked on Sept. 11, 2008, if there was asbestos in the school building's roof. At the time, he said the tests on the core samples had not been completed. However, the district received the report on the core samples on Sept. 8, and board members were briefed on the results the following day. When parents last night asked why the information was not shared with them earlier, Dr. Kinavey defended Mr. Cherpak, saying he did "an excellent job." Dr. Kinavey also said he did not want to send out information that would create a panic in the community. At last night's meeting, Bruce Mancini, of Tremco, the firm that is supplying materials for the roofing project, told parents that the asbestos found in the roof was not friable, or airborne, and posed no health threat. Acting board President Pam Terrick said students would not return to the school until officials were assured by county health officials that the school was safe. category:wellness category:schools category:news coverage